Displaying items by tag: Sustainability

New Zealand: Golden Bay Cement has signed a deal with Genesis Energy for a supply of bottom ash from Huntly power plant for use in cement production at its Portland cement plant in Northland. Genesis Energy generates 20,000t/yr of bottom ash at the Huntly plant, situated in Waikato, 260km south of the Portland cement plant. The plant currently uses 15,000t/yr of fly ash from the Huntly power plant in its operations. The producer was previously investigating the use of volcanic ash in cement production in 2022. It currently uses waste tyres and wood waste as alternative fuels (AF) to produce its EcoSure low-carbon general-purpose cement.

Golden Bay Cement's general manager Gian Raffainer said "We are driven to decarbonise and achieve 30% less carbon by 2030. Contributing to waste reduction at a large scale for the benefit of all New Zealanders is incredibly exciting. It is a win-win for the environment and for Kiwis who want to use more environmentally friendly products."

Argentina: Cementos Avellaneda has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with energy provider YPF Luz for the construction of a new wind farm. Local press has reported that the planned plant will have a capacity of 63MW and be situated in Olavarría, Buenos Aires Province. There, it will supply 100% of the energy used in cement production at Cementos Avellaneda's Olavarría cement plant. The cement producer will transmit any surplus energy from the wind farm to its San Luis plant at La Calera, with the longer-term aim of becoming Argentina's first 100% renewably-powered cement company.

The partners will carry out technical and economic feasibility studies in mid-2023, and publish plans and budget before the end of the year.

UK: Switzerland-based Holcim has invested in Coomtech, a developer of low-emission kinetic drying technology for raw materials. The group says that Coomtech's technology emits up to 75% less CO₂ than traditional drying methods and enables increased use of recycled materials in cement and concrete. Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries previously collaborated with Coomtech on fly ash drying at a UK power plant.

Edelio Bermejo, head of global research and development said "At Holcim, we are continuously working to implement greener operations for a net-zero future, and to increase the use of recycled materials in our products to drive circular construction. Coomtech's low-emission drying technology helps us meet both these goals. I look forward to working with them as a key partner in our journey to decarbonise buildings."

Canada: The Cement Association of Canada (CAC), with its members and partners in the concrete sector, has released Concrete Zero, an action plan to help the local cement and concrete sector reach net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. The five priority areas it is focusing on include: eliminating the use of coal and petroleum coke as fuel sources for clinker production; reducing the volume of clinker used to produce cement; increasing the use of supplementary cementitious materials; working towards building carbon capture, utilisation and storage capacity; and advocating for performance-based codes, standards and specifications, procurement policies and increased material efficiency in construction. Targets include reaching a 100% fuel mix from non-fossil-based sources by 2050. The latest plant follows the goal of achieving a 40% emissions reduction by 2030 as part of its Roadmap to Net-Zero Carbon Concrete by 2050.

Adam Auer, the president and chief executive officer of CAC, said “Our net-zero action plan is ambitious and cannot be achieved by industry action alone. Working with government, industry, and partners in the design, architecture, and construction industry will be essential for success. Canada’s cement and concrete industry are committed to doing our part to help Canada build a better, cleaner future. Working together, we can deliver Concrete Zero.”

India: Mahendra Singhi, the head of Dalmia Cement (Bharat), says that the company has past the peak of commodity price inflation. Its income from operations grew by 10% year-on-year to US$1.66bn in the 2023 financial year from US$1.38bn in the 2022 financial year. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 5% to US$283m from US$297m. Its sales volumes of cement increased by 16% to 26Mt from 22Mt.

Mahendra Singhi, the managing director and chief executive officer of Dalmia Cement (Bharat), said “Our persistent efforts, on enhancing sustainability of our operations and rationalisation of our operating costs, have enabled us to mitigate the adverse impact of inflation and deliver stable earnings performance.” He added “With robust demand outlook, steady cement prices and the peak of commodity price inflation behind us, we are expecting profitability to gradually improve from here on.”

Sustainability targets that the group promoted in its fourth quarter results statement included reaching a carbon footprint of 463kgCO₂/t of cement. Its renewable energy capacity increased to 166MW in the 2023 financial year from 100MW.

UK: Aggregate Industries has launched the ECOPlanet product range. The products offer a reduction of at least 30% in the carbon footprint of cement, compared to CEM I ordinary Portland cement, by using second cementitious materials such as fly ash. The launch of the ECOPlanet range is part of the subsidiary of Holcim’s 2030 sustainability strategy, Building Progress for a Sustainable Future.

Dragan Maksimovic, the chief executive officer of Aggregate Industries, said “The launch of ECOPlanet expands on our existing low carbon products including ECOPact, the world’s broadest range of green concrete or Super-Low Carbon, the first asphalt using biogenic material within the bitumen. The product is driven by innovation and by our ambitions to build a net zero future, and we’re delighted once again to be pushing the boundaries of low carbon construction solutions.”

India: More than 75 representatives from academic institutions and businesses from across the world are attending the Innovandi Global Cement and Concrete Research Network (GCCRN) Spring Week taking place in New Delhi. The GCCRN has brought together 450 researchers and scientists from more than 40 universities and institutions, including the EPFL in Switzerland, South East University in China, University of Toronto in Canada, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, the University of Cape Town, Imperial College London in the UK, as well as 35 cement and concrete manufacturers and their suppliers. The focus of the conference is to work towards reaching net-zero CO₂ concrete production, including sourcing and improving alternatives to clinker, work on calcined clays, concrete recycling – plus its carbonation and durability - as well as kiln electrification and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS).

Claude Loréa, the Innovation and ESG Director at the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), said “Global Innovation collaboration and research will help unlock our industry’s decarbonisation mission. Spring Week is the key date in the GCCA’s Innovandi calendar. It provides an opportunity for our partners to meet face-to-face, exchange ideas, run workshops, and measure progress on key research projects in line with our industry’s 2050 Net Zero Roadmap. Our industry and our key partners are stepping up to the challenge and it’s fantastic to see the progress on some of the 75 PhD candidates supported by the GCCRN.”

The event is also updating attendees about progress made by projects involved with the Innovandi Open Challenge. This initiative matches start-ups with GCCA member companies from around the world, to help scale up research and technical innovation. Two of the six start-ups selected in 2022 at the first ever Innovandi Open Challenge, which focused mainly on carbon capture and utilisation, have already gone to pilot stage. Applications for the second challenge, which focuses on low carbon concrete, close on 15 May 2023.

The GCCRN was set up by the GCCA, a lobbying group representing more than 80% of the world’s cement and concrete manufacturers outside of China. All GCCA member companies are committed to decarbonising the industry by the mid-21st Century, in line with the GCCA’s Concrete Future 2050 Net Zero Roadmap.

US: Holcim US has joined the Department of Energy's (DOE) 'Better Climate Challenge' to reduce CO₂ emissions and save energy. It is the first cement producer to commit to the DOE program. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim plans to power the electrical operations at 13 cement plants in the country with 100% renewable energy by 2030 and to reach net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050. As part of the 'Better Climate Challenge' it has committed to reduce CO₂ emissions in the US by at least 25% by 2033.

Examples of current renewable power usage at Holcim US cement plants include the installation of three onsite wind turbines at the Paulding plant in Ohio that generate 11,500MWh while a forthcoming solar unit at the Hagerstown plant in Maryland will generate up to 18,440MWh. All 13 Holcim cement plants will conduct reviews to identify projects that could contribute to meeting goals of the challenge.

With grant support from the DOE, Holcim is also investigating the feasibility of using carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) at its cement plants in Portland, Colorado, and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. In addition to involvement in the Better Climate Challenge, Holcim US is a continuing partner of the DOE's 'Better Plants Challenge', sharing facility-level energy data and solutions to help guide other industrial companies with implementing energy solutions in their facilities.

Italy: Buzzi Unicem reduced its specific gross scope 1 CO₂ emissions by 4% year-on-year to 664kg/t cementitious product in 2022 from 689kg/t in 2021. As part of its Sustainability Report for 2022 it revealed that specific CO₂ emissions varied from a low of 500kg/t in Luxembourg to a high of 812kg/t in Ukraine. Its specific thermal consumption fell slightly to 4084MJ/t clinker and its thermal substitution rate was 29.9%.

The company’s Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LITFR) was 4.9 and two fatalities were reported. It also noted that six employees – five Ukrainian and one Russian – died as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia that started in February 2022. In addition, six staff were wounded, one taken prisoner and two were reported missing from its Ukrainian workforce.

The building materials producer noted that it had met some of its five-year sustainability targets set in 2017, including a 5% reduction in specific CO2 emissions, the implementation of structural engagement projects at all of its production sites with a high economic, environmental and social impact and the achievement of increasingly safe working conditions.

France: Ciments Calcia has announced an investment of Euro86m to further decarbonise cement production at its integrated Beaucaire plant. The subsidiary of Germany-based Heidelberg Materials has allocated a total of Euro600m towards reducing CO₂ emissions from all of its operations in the country in response to a government initiative, according to The Tribune newspaper.

The current funding follows a spend of just under Euro7m on upgrades at the site, including installing a new clinker cooler that will allow for greater recovery of waste heat, and the addition of a new computer control system. Following this work, the single production line plant was restarted in early April 2023.

The next stage of investment has started with a feasibility study. If successful, a tendering process could start in the second half of 2023 with work planned to start in 2025. The company intends to renovate the plant’s electricity network, modernise the production line with a preheater and a pre-crusher and make further changes to target an alternative fuels thermal substitution rate of 75%. A third stage, involving carbon capture and utilisation and/or storage, is tentatively planned to start in 2030.